basketball | Wednesday, March 1, 2023 10:44 AM (Revised at: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 10:45 AM)

New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Best Bet: Knicks Even Out the Series

Milan Stanojic

New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Best Bet: Wednesday, March 1st

The New York Knicks lock horns for the fourth and final time against the Brooklyn Nets this season, and we are in for a treat. It’s been a long and tiring rivalry these last few years, with the Nets dominating convincingly, but it’s finally time for the Knicks to even out the playing field.

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New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Preview
New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Best Bet

New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Preview

Thu, Mar 2nd. 00:30 (UK time)

After a disappointing season last year, the New York Knicks are back in the playoff picture, currently sitting in 5th place in the East with a 36-27 record. They have been a very profitable betting side this year, covering the spread in 35 of their 61 games. But their form has been even better of late, riding a 6-game winning streak and coming off a 109-94 win over the Boston Celtics. Best of all, they are one of the rare NBA teams without any injury issues at the moment, and tonight they are wrapping up a very fruitful 3-game homestand.

The biggest reason behind their recent success has been efficiency. Despite being one of the slowest teams in the NBA, with a pace rating of just 96.8 and 101.8 possessions per game, the Knicks are 2nd in offensive rating, averaging 117.0 points over the last 10. Their defence has also been a useful weapon, ranking 9th in defensive rating and allowing an average of 111.9 points per game. The trio of Randle, Brunson and Barret has been exceptional for the Knicks this year, averaging almost a combined 70 points per game.

Hopes were high for the Brooklyn Nets when the Simmons- Durant-Irving trio was assembled, but they quickly faded this season as now only Ben Simmons remains. They are 6th in the east at the moment, but we can expect them to quickly drop off during the next few weeks. The Nets are on a 3-game losing streak, having won just 3 of their last 10 games. Their last game was a 104-118 home loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, and we can expect this losing streak to continue tonight. What’s more, Ben Simmons is out for this game.

Over the last 5 games, the Brooklyn Nets have ranked 29th in net rating, 21st in offensive and 29th in defensive rating. They have been the second-worst rebounding team in the NBA, and they have allowed an average of 121.5 points per game. This team is not in a good spot right now and backing them in any market is not a good idea.

New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets Best Bet

This match-up has been dominated by the Brooklyn Nets over the last 3 years, as they’ve won 9 of their last 10 encounters vs the Knicks. Well, hat was then and this is now. Last time around, the Knicks demolished the Nets at home in mid-February by 124-106 and we can expect something similar tonight.

It’s 2-1 in the series this season, and I can see the Knicks being eager to get some revenge against an old rival and even out the series. 7 points isn’t too much, especially considering the state of the Nets’ roster, and I’m taking the Knicks against the spread.